1. Priyaranjan
‘RANJAN’
Mestri
Intermediate
Blog
Report
http://slappopnpick.wordpress.com/
Narratives
&
Networks
in
Digital
Media
MCDM,
UW.
SUMMARY
Fall,
2012
I
moved
to
Seattle
to
pursue
Master
of
Communication
in
Digital
Media
(MCDM)
at
the
University
of
Washington.
However,
I
did
not
bring
my
Bass
Guitar
along
with
me
because
I
was
hoping
to
buy
a
new
one
here,
as
per
my
latest
requirements.
Consequently,
upon
my
arrival
at
Seattle
I
came
across
“BASS
NORTHWEST”
an
exclusive
bass
guitar
store
in
downtown
Seattle.
I
visited
the
store
and
realized
that
there
were
no
left-­‐handed
Bass
Guitars.
In
fact,
there
were
no
pieces
on
display!
Further,
I
visited
another
music
store
called
“TRADING
MUSICIANS”
at
Roosevelt
Way
NE,
Seattle.
I
found
a
couple
of
left-­‐handed
bass
guitars
but
could
not
buy
neither
of
the
them
because
the
first
one
was
priced
twice
the
right-­‐handed
counterpart
and
the
second
one
was
a
vintage
Paul
McCartney
Hoffer
bass
and
it
did
not
suit
my
requirement.
At
the
end
of
the
day
I
went
home
and
looked
up
online
for
left
handed
bass
guitars
on
www.ebay.com,
http://www.Guitarcentre.com
and
www.craigslist.com
and
was
not
surprised
to
know
that
there
wasn’t
anything
interesting
and
worth
buying
because
all
the
deals
were
subjected
to
online
purchase.
Which
means
I
don’t
get
to
try
them
first
but
buy
them
and
try.
Eventually,
I
was
disappointed
and
left
with
few
“UNANSWERED
QUESTIONS”:
1. Why
can’t
left-­‐handed
bassists
play
the
right-­‐handed
guitars?
2. Why
do
manufacturers
produce
less
left-­‐handed
guitars?
3. How
to
play
the
right
-­‐
handed
bass
left
-­‐
handed?
4.
Can
I
invent
a
Universal
guitar
for
lefties
and
righties
both?
Therefore,
I
decided
to
create
(www.slappopnpick.com)
exclusively
for
left
handed
bass
guitarists.
SlapPopnPick
is
a
blog
dedicated
to
left
handed
bass
players
by
a
left
handed
bassists
to
overcome
constraints
of
being
left
handed
in
the
right
handed
biased
world.
SlapPopnPick
is
focused
on
resolving
issues
related
to
left
handed
bass
guitarists
such
as:
left
handed
people
are
not
being
able
to
play
the
right
handed
Guitars
and
Basses.
It
is
really
difficult
to
find
a
guitar
when
desired.
What
can
get
manufacturers
to
increase
the
production
of
left-­‐handed
guitars?
How
to
play
the
right-­‐handed
guitar
left
handed?
Can
I
invent
a
universal
guitar
that
can
be
played
by
both
right
handed
and
left
handed
people.
Therefore,
SlapPopnPick
will
throw
light
upon
these
“UNANSWERED”
questions.

2. Priyaranjan
‘RANJAN’
Mestri
Intermediate
Blog
Report
http://slappopnpick.wordpress.com/
Narratives
&
Networks
in
Digital
Media
MCDM,
UW.
OBJECTIVE
To
create
solid
awareness
of
a
blog
(platform/channel)
exclusively
for
left
handed
bass
players
focused
on
resolving
issues
like
lack
of
availability,
reduced
choices
and
guitars
priced
twice
the
right
handed
counterparts.
Basically,
the
market
is
righty
biased.
Thus,
I
intend
to
start
by
identifying
the
pre-­‐said
problem
by
throwing
light
upon
the
“UNANSWERED
QUESTIONS”.
Because,
almost
all
the
websites
and
blogs
dedicated
to
left
handed
musicians
do
not
focus
on
the
problem
and
solution
but
on
the
general
aspects
of
“guitar
playing
“
like
lessons
and
licks,
techniques,
personal
experiences
etc.
Some
notable
examples:
1. http://www.leftybass.com/
2. http://guitar.about.com/od/bass_guitar_lessons/a/left-­‐hand-­‐bass-­‐technique.htm
3. http://1lefthanded.com/left-­‐handed-­‐guitarists
EFFECTIVENESS
EEFECTIVENSS
Identify
the
problem
Examine
and
explain
the
problem
Create
trust
and
credibility
Increase
engagement
Effectiveness
in
terms
of
my
blog
is
to
identify
the
pre
said
problem
(Lack
of
availability,
reduced
choices
and
guitars
priced
twice
as
much
as
their
right
handed
counterparts)
and
share
that
problem
in
the
form
of
a
compelling
story
that
has
a
structured
and
focused
narrative
with
emotional
impact
because
“Our
shared
stories
create
a
connection
to
others
that
builds
a
sense
of
belonging
to
a
particular
community.”
Daniel
Siegel
Examine
and
explain
the
problem
thoroughly
i.e.
nature
of
the
problem,
how
did
the
problem
arise
and
why?
E.g.
“UNANSWERED
QUESTIONS”.
The
unanswered
questions
form
the
structure
of
the
overall
story
and
will
help
me
generate
relevant
content
and
community.
Because
every
story
needs
to
have
a
strong
structure
with
a
Beginning,
Middle
and
End
as
discussed
in
Chapter
11
and
12
(Power
of
Structure
and
Power
of
Connection)
in
the
book
“Storyteller
Uprising
by
Hanson
R
Hosein”.
Create
trust
and
credibility
–
Provide
solution
to
the
problem
with
substantial
evidence,
facts
and
figures
to
earn
trust
and
social
capital
because
the
information
regarding
the
issue
on
the
web
is
based
on
assumptions
and
personal
preferences

3. Priyaranjan
‘RANJAN’
Mestri
Intermediate
Blog
Report
http://slappopnpick.wordpress.com/
Narratives
&
Networks
in
Digital
Media
MCDM,
UW.
by
untrusted
sources.
E.g.
Hanson
Hosein
discussed
in
the
class
about
an
aircraft
that
landed
on
the
Hudson
Bay.
It
was
tweeted
by
a
common
man
and
not
a
trusted
source
or
reliable
network
but
he
gained
engagement
through
trust
and
credibility
because
he
had
shared
an
image.
MY
THREE
FAVORITE
POSTS
1. Why
can’t
left-­‐handers
play
the
right-­‐handed
guitar?
2. The
market
for
left
handers
is
limited
3. Why
play
bass
guitar?
WHY
CANT
LEFT-­‐HANDERS
PLAY
THE
RIGHT-­‐HANDED
GUITARS?
At
first
when
a
left
handed
person
decides
to
learn
the
Guitar/Bass
the
first
and
the
foremost
problem
faced
by
him/her
is
to
decided
whether
he
should
play
left-­‐
handed
or
right-­‐handed.
It
is
obvious
because
the
market
is
righty
biased.
Considering
that
approximately
“Not
even
1%
of
guitars
built
are
left
handed,
even
though
8%
to
10%
of
the
population
are
lefties”.
According
to
Jerry
Welch
owner
of
Jerry’s
Lefty
Guitars
(http://www.jerrysleftyguitars.com/about_us.html)
Thus,
the
market
for
these
guitars
is
limited
and
scarce.
One
of
the
major
disadvantages
of
playing
a
left-­‐handed
bass
is
that
left
handed
bass
guitars
are
much
harder
to
get
and
usually
more
expensive
than
their
right-­‐handed
counterparts.
Many
companies
do
not
even
make
left-­‐handed
bass
guitars
and
those
that
do
often
only
produce
a
limited
number
of
their
models
in
left-­‐handed
versions.
If
you
play
left-­‐handed
then
you
have
to
accept
that
you
may
not
be
able
to
buy
the
exact
bass
guitar
you
want
and
even
if
you
are
able
to
buy
it
you
will
probably
have
to
pay
more
for
it.
The
main
disadvantage
of
playing
a
left-­‐handed
bass
is
not
the
lack
of
instrument
selection
and
cost
but
the
fact
that
you
will
not
be
able
to
play
a
regular
bass
guitar.
“Imagine
you
are
at
a
party
or
an
event
and
someone
hands
you
a
Bass
Guitar,
you
will
not
be
able
to
play
it.
If
you
want
to
play
the
bass
guitar
then
you
will
always
have
to
have
your
own
guitar
around.
On
the
contrary
if
you
played
a
right-­‐handed
Bass
Guitar
you
would
be
able
to
borrow
someone
else’s
instrument
or
use
whatever
Bass
Guitar
is
around.
“
Consequently,
Left-­‐handed
bass
guitarists
have
to
make
a
serious
choice
between
whether
they
want
to
play
a
regular
right-­‐handed
bass
guitar
or
a
left-­‐handed
bass
guitar.
But
why?
There
is
no
simple
answer
to
this
question!
While
this
may
seem
unfair
“It
does
cost
guitar
manufacturers
a
significant
amount
of
money
to
adapt
their
machinery
to
produce
left-­‐handed
bass
guitars”.
As
per
(http://leftyfretz.com/cost-­‐
versus-­‐demand-­‐lefty-­‐guitars-­‐and-­‐the-­‐production-­‐line/)

4. Priyaranjan
‘RANJAN’
Mestri
Intermediate
Blog
Report
http://slappopnpick.wordpress.com/
Narratives
&
Networks
in
Digital
Media
MCDM,
UW.
And
that’s
one
of
the
reasons
why
left-­‐handed
bass
guitars
are
rarely
available
in
comparison
to
the
plethora
of
options
available
for
right-­‐handed
people.
Thus,
it
became
imperative
to
find
out
as
to
why
a
regular
right-­‐handed
guitar
is
held
in
the
direction
of
the
headstock
pointing
to
the
left.
Simply
put,
why
is
a
guitar
played
the
way
it
is
played?
After
necessary
examination
and
research
I
concluded
that
this
tradition
of
the
guitar
being
held
to
the
left
comes
from
the
“CLASSICAL
GUITAR”,
which
was
the
dominant
guitar
style
when
the
guitar
was
being
developed.
Until
the
20th
century.
The
Guitar
classical
and
popular
both
were
played
by
fingerpicking.
For
example;
Lullaby
song
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiRN92g3IWs)
instead
of
with
a
plectrum
(pick)
and;
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvtXsx9YAJo).
In
finger-­‐style
guitar
both
hands
are
performing
complex
and
difficult
tasks
but
the
hand
required
to
pick
the
strings
requires
more
strength
and
stamina
than
the
one
used
to
fret.
As
a
result,
the
right-­‐hand
was
given
the
fingerpicking
task
and
the
left-­‐
hand
the
fretting
task
resulting
in
the
guitar
pointing
in
a
direction
towards
the
left.
Eventually,
when
Paul
Tutmarc
invented
the
bass
guitar
in
1930s
he
followed
the
same
principal.
However,
in
the
last
century,
playing
the
Guitar/Bass
Guitar
with
a
pick
has
become
much
more
popular
and
widespread
to
the
point
where
there
are
far
more
players
who
can
play
with
a
pick
than
with
their
fingers
simply
because
it
is
easy,
faster
and
requires
less
effort
than
fingerpicking.
Yet
the
direction
of
the
guitar
has
remained
true
to
tradition.
Therefore,
often
times,
when
a
left
handed
person
decides
to
play
a
bass
guitar
left
handed,
the
easiest
solution
occurs
to
him/her
is
“Flipping
the
strings
upside
down”
or
restringing
the
right
handed
guitar
to
left
handed.
But,
this
is
a
wrong
method.
Let
me
explain
why.
The
first
obstacle
a
person
faces
while
restringing
a
guitar
(interchanging
the
string
positions)
is
at
the
nut
because
the
low
E
string
wont
fit
into
the
high
E’s
slot
on
the
nut.
This
is
because
the
high
E
string’s
slot
is
thinner
as
compared
to
the
low
E
string
which
is
to
say
that
the
low
E
string
gauge
sizes
are
usually
.046
and
the
high
E
string
gauge
sizes
are
.010.
There
is
a
difference
of
.036.
Either,
you
will
have
to
force
the
string
through
the
nut
or
take
it
to
a
Guitar
Store
and
have
it
altered
by
a
professional
with
a
nominal
price
of
$
20
-­‐
$
50
depending
upon
the
store.
Next,
the
high
E
string
has
an
extra
space
of
approximately
.036
gauges
in
the
nut,
because
the
slots
were
interchanged
with
low
E.
Making
the
high
E
string
floppy
and
jerky.
And
thus,
it
requires
an
expert
to
wind
the
string
along
the
length
of
the
guitar
neck
and
stuff
a
tooth
pick
or
a
similar
something
that
occupies
the
extra
space
to
increase
the
tension,
and
bar
the
high
E
string
from
jarring,
like
Paul
McCartney
did!

5. Priyaranjan
‘RANJAN’
Mestri
Intermediate
Blog
Report
http://slappopnpick.wordpress.com/
Narratives
&
Networks
in
Digital
Media
MCDM,
UW.
Also,
the
strings
tend
to
pop
out
all
of
a
sudden
from
their
slots,
especially
low
E
and
A.
Finally,
when
you
wind
the
strings
and
tune
it
to
“Standard
E”
your
worries
are
temporarily
over
as
it
will
allow
you
to
play
as
hard
as
you
want
and
the
strings
wont
budge,
but
you
cannot
tune
the
guitar
to
any
other
tune
like
drop
–
C
or
D.
The
final
modification
is
risky.
So,
it
requires
a
lot
of
attention.
No
matter
what
kind
of
guitar
or
bass
you
turn
into
left
handed
you
will
have
to
make
sure
that
the
action
is
correct.
If
not,
the
desired
sound
when
a
note
is
played,
especially
bend,
slide,
hammer
on,
pull
off
and
vibrato
will
sound
abrupt
more
importantly
incorrect
and
out
of
tune.
Also,
there
will
always
be
intonation
problems
once
the
bass
side
and
the
treble
side
of
the
guitar
is
interchanged.
ANALYSIS
OF
THE
POST
In
the
above
post
I’ve
introduced
the
background
of
the
problem
with
appropriate
facts
and
figures.
I’ve
identified
the
problem
and
discussed
the
disadvantages
of
the
problem
and
how
it
directly
impacts
the
target
audience.
I’ve
shared
a
small
but
a
compelling
narrative
focused
on
the
target
audiences
explaining
the
problem
in
a
real
life
situation
(Slice
of
life)
with
which
people
can
easily
resonate.
“Imagine
you
are
at
a
party
or
an
event
and
someone
hands
you
a
Bass
Guitar,
you
will
not
be
able
to
play
it.
If
you
want
to
play
the
Bass
Guitar
then
you
will
always
have
to
have
your
own
guitar
around.
On
the
contrary
if
you
played
a
right-­‐handed
Bass
Guitar
you
would
be
able
to
borrow
others
instrument
or
use
whatever
Bass
Guitar
is
lying
around.
“
Further,
I’ve
explained
the
consequences
of
the
problem:
“Left-­‐handed
Bass
Guitarists
have
to
make
a
serious
choice
between
whether
they
want
to
play
a
regular
right-­‐handed
Bass
Guitar
or
a
left-­‐handed
Bass
Guitar”.
Next,
I’ve
provided
the
answer
-­‐
The
major
reason
for
these
issues
are
the
cost:
“A
guitar
manufacturer
needs
to
shell
out
significant
amount
of
money
to
adapt
their
machinery
to
produce
left-­‐handed
guitars”.
Along
with,
essential
evidence
(http://leftyfretz.com/cost-­‐
versus-­‐demand-­‐lefty-­‐guitars-­‐and-­‐the-­‐production-­‐line/)
Moving
forward,
I
have
also
examined
the
problem,
“As
to
why
a
regular
Guitar
is
made
the
way
it
is?
Left-­‐handed
people
cannot
play
the
regular
guitar
and
I
need
to
find
out
why?
And
the
answer
was
that
since
the
finger
picking
style
was
dominant
when
the
guitar
was
being
developed,
and
in
this
style
of
Guitar
both
the
hands
are
performing
complex
and
difficult
tasks
and
the
hand
required
to
pick
the
strings
needed
more
strength
and
stamina
than
the
one
used
to
fret.
As
a
result,
the
right-­‐
hand
was
given
the
fingerpicking
task
and
the
left-­‐hand
the
fretting
task
resulting
in
the
guitar
pointing
in
the
leftward
direction.
Eventually,
when
Paul
Tutmarc
invented
the
bass
guitar
in
1930s
he
followed
the
same
principal.
I
have
also
discussed
the
most
common
misconception
being
that
of
restringing
the
guitar
as
the
most
common
solution
but
that
does
not
hold
true.
I’ve
given
a
detailed
explanation
as
to
why.

6. Priyaranjan
‘RANJAN’
Mestri
Intermediate
Blog
Report
http://slappopnpick.wordpress.com/
Narratives
&
Networks
in
Digital
Media
MCDM,
UW.
In
my
previous
post
The
market
for
left
handers
is
limited
I’ve
discussed
my
personal
experiences
with
the
issue
and
the
consequences
in
the
form
of
a
compelling
story
that
has
a
structured
and
focused
narrative
with
emotional
impact
highlighting
the
“UNANSWERED”
questions.
And
hence,
my
former
post
The
market
for
left
handers
is
limited
helped
me
frame
my
next
post
-­‐
Why
can’t
left-­‐handers
play
the
right-­‐handed
guitar?
As
far
as
awareness
is
concerned,
I’ve
got
8
likes
and
twelve
followers
on
Wordpress.com,
twenty-­‐three
likes
for
my
Facebook
page
and
four
followers
on
Twitter
so
far.
And,
there
has
been
a
significant
rise
in
the
views
and
shares
after
the
post
The
market
for
left
handers
is
limited
The
total
number
of
views
as
of
November
6,
2012
are
611.
With
53
being
the
highest
on
one
single
day,
November
2,
2012.
In
addition,
overall
16
shares
for
my
posts
via
Facebook
and
LinkedIn.
Considering
that
approximately
only
8%
to
10%
of
population
is
left–handed
out
of
which
there
are
only
736
Bass
players
in
the
world
and
around
1%
musicians
as
per
www.leftybass.com
and
Jerry
Welch,
the
owner
of
Jerry’s
Lefty
Guitars
(http://www.jerrysleftyguitars.com/about_us.html).
However,
Engaging
on
social
networking
groups
and
Word
of
Mouth
so
far
has
not
generated
the
required
ROI.
Therefore,
I
believe
I
need
to
create
solid
awareness
campaign
like
the
Kony
2012
video
by
Invisible
Children
Inc.,
to
increase
awareness
because
majority
of
the
population
is
ignorant
as
it
does
not
concern
them
directly
and
the
target
audience
is
scattered
and
confused.
In
my
opinion,
“problem
and
solution
approach
backed
by
a
structured
story”
with
a
compelling
and
focused
narrative
will
help
me
create
content
that
can
engage
communities
around
that
content.
While,
substantial
evidence:
facts
and
figures
earn
trust
when
it
comes
to
creating
awareness.
In
my
recent
post
Why
can’t
left-­‐handers
play
the
right-­‐handed
guitar?
I’ve
discussed
that
restringing
the
Guitar
is
not
a
potential
solution
and
supported
my
argument
with
appropriate
facts
and
suitable
examples.
Therefore,
in
my
next
post
I
will
discuss
about
“Should
left-­‐handed
people
play
the
Guitar
right-­‐handed?”
As
this
is
one
of
the
frequently
asked
questions
on
the
web
(http://www.bing.com/search?q=should+I+play+the+guitar+left+handed+or+right
+handed&go=&qs=n&form=QBLH&pq=should+i+play+the+guitar+left+handed+or+
right+handed&sc=0-­‐25&sp=-­‐1&sk=)
and
an
“UNASWERED
QUESTION”
also
it
is
cited
as
a
potential
solution.
Basically,
people
opinionate
and
make

7. Priyaranjan
‘RANJAN’
Mestri
Intermediate
Blog
Report
http://slappopnpick.wordpress.com/
Narratives
&
Networks
in
Digital
Media
MCDM,
UW.
recommendations
based
on
their
assumptions
and
preferences
and
do
not
provide
evidence
and
substantial
statement
to
earn
the
trust
and
credibility
of
others.
However,
when
I
publish
my
post
I
will
support
my
argument
with
substantial
evidence
and
suitable
examples
so
that
I
can
earn
the
desired
trust
and
credibility.
Best
Practices:
Identification
and
analysis
of
the
problem
and
providing
solution
with
suitable
statements
and
substantial
evidence
in
the
form
of
a
compelling
story
that
has
a
structured
and
focused
narrative
with
emotional
impact,
which
will
help
me,
establish
trust
and
credibility
and
increase
engagement.